Kuroko’s Basketball: Before Generation Miracles, I Already Crowned

On the court.

Akihito Shigure raised his fist in triumph, a gleeful grin lighting up his face.

On the other side

Nijimura Shuzo remained silent. The fiery blaze in his eyes burned beneath his cold, expressionless exterior. He bent down, picked up the basketball at his feet, and with a kind of ritualistic finality, turned and tossed it into the hoop behind him.

Off the court.

Coach Shirakane Ginzo watched the scene intently, eyes alight.

Rain.

Rainbow.

One boy

and another.

When two forces meet, something extraordinary can happen.

That essence, what Shirakane once believed to be the very blood and oxygen of Teiko's basketball team, seemed, in this very moment, to have split in two. Perhaps right here, right now, a meeting powerful enough to change everything was taking place.

As Shirakane pondered this deeply

Elsewhere

Teiko's player evaluation team was preparing to deliver their verdict on both Nijimura Shuzo and Akihito Shigure.

"Coach Shirakane, there's no doubt about it. These two first-years… they're prodigies among prodigies!"

"There's absolutely no issue placing them straight into the First String!"

"In fact, "

"With some tactical training and stamina building under our system, they could become top-tier even within the First String!"

"This year's rookie batch… it's unreal. Two monsters of this caliber joining us at once?"

"Next year, and the year after, we'll be building the team around them for sure "

"Actually… from a championship perspective, we might want to make them the core starting this year already. But then there's the matter of the current First String's starting lineup…"

Assistant Coach Sanada Naoto glanced at Shirakane, who remained fixated on the court, clearly still absorbing what he had just witnessed. Sanada raised his hand to cut off the increasingly animated coaching staff.

Yet even he, normally stern and collected, couldn't completely hide his emotion. As he adjusted his glasses, his fingertips lingered on the frame a moment longer than usual.

"..."

Then, almost sheepishly, he slid them back down a little.

He turned his gaze to Akihito Shigure. Though Coach Shirakane seemed to favor Nijimura Shuzo, Sanada had his own thoughts.

That elusive thing called "personality"... that mysterious, intangible quality?

He saw it more clearly in this boy.

176 cm.

First year of middle school.

Explosive athleticism.

Not as polished or well-rounded in technique and experience as Nijimura, but the mastery of the skills he did possess? Beyond exceptional.

Even on a team as stacked as Teiko, Sanada had never imagined, let alone seen, a rookie this freakishly unorthodox.

The team's repeated failures to secure the championship over the past two years, and the growing gap between them and the title, had left Sanada quietly frustrated.

But now

With the arrival of Akihito Shigure

and alongside him…

Nijimura Shuzo.

This twin-core engine… it was enough to power a title run for the next two years, no, three.

Soon after the legendary duel between Akihito and Nijimura

The rest of the rookie trials resumed.

To the evaluation team, aside from Kokuna Shinji and Fukaya Reiji, who showed glimmers of potential, the other rookies merely completed the test without surprise or standout moments.

"Next, we'll announce the placement results for all rookies, beginning with the Third String…"

"Arayashiki Makoto."

"Todo Yukio."

"Aiura Kōji."

…

"Satoi So."

…

"Murao Tatsuya."

"Congratulations. All of the above have successfully joined Teiko's Third String."

"Please proceed to the Third String gym with Coach Nagamura Hiroshi."

Along the sidelines, many whose names were called, rookies who had believed they had what it took to make the Second String, looked visibly crestfallen. Those whose names hadn't been announced yet restrained their excitement, sensing the shift in atmosphere.

Of course

That didn't include Kokuna Shinji, who lacked any sort of filter.

"OKAY! At least we're locked in for Second String!" he shouted, throwing an arm around Akihito.

Shigure peeled his hand off, thinking silently:

Strong grip, this guy.

"…Calm down."

"Didn't we agree to aim for First String?"

Kokuna Shinji: "..."

Remembering Akihito's showdown with Nijimura, Shinji's face turned a little sour.

He remembered clearly how Coach Sanada had pulled Akihito aside for a bonus match, calling it an assessment for First String eligibility. If that was the benchmark… then what was the point in even dreaming about it?

Still

No way I'm losing in a war of words.

As Shinji and Akihito bickered back and forth in their usual rowdy friendship

Elsewhere.

Fukaya Reiji, having just confirmed his placement in the Second String, stood with head lowered, silent, expression unreadable.

"Talent?"

"So-called talent…"

"Technique. Stamina. Discipline…"

"Do everything you can, put in every ounce of effort, then question whether or not you have talent, Reiji."

"And as for the moment your talent blooms?"

"Maybe it's today. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe the day after. Or maybe not until next year. But if you give up now, if you assume from the start that you have none, then that moment will never come."

Reiji took a long, deep breath.

Coach Takeuchi Masanori's voice, his words from the past, still rang clearly in his ears. They swept away the lingering unease that had stirred in him after witnessing the clash between Nijimura and Akihito.

He looked up, toward the two of them.

His eyes, normally hidden behind the shadow of long bangs, now revealed a clear, determined glint.

Fukaya Reiji: "..."

I…

I will not stop here.

I'll keep pushing, until the day that moment finally arrives.

(End of chapter)

Hey everyone, thank you so much for following the story so far! We're only just getting started, and trust me, things are about to go next level. The drama, the rivalries, the power plays, what's coming will blow your mind.

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Get ready. The game's only just begun.